Mere Christianity Quotes (p. 52)

Here is one of my favorite passages from the classic book by C. S. Lewis--Mere Christianity:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

Worship: The Antidote to Anxiety

Here is another worship devotional from Captivated by the Heart of God by David Good. This one gives us some good advice about how to deal with anxiety:

All of us deal with anxiety to some extent. Some more than others. It is difficult not to be anxious, especially in today's fast-paced culture that expects more of us than ever before. To think that we can create a worry-free life is naive, but God has given us a powerful tool to help us deal with anxiety and find true joy even in the midst of adversity and trials. Philippians 4:4-9 gives us six steps to overcome anxiety.

Step #1--Rejoice in the Lord always.

To rejoice means to be exceedingly glad. The emphasis is not on finding joy in what is happening or has happened, but in what God is doing and will do. To rejoice in the Lord always does not mean to be happy, but to find joy in God's future provision.

Step #2--Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The encouragement is to strive to respond in gentleness in the midst of difficult circumstances. It is hard to be gentle when you are stressed. What helps is to focus on what God is doing, not on what is happening. Don't forget that Paul tells us the Lord is near, ever-present. You don't have to worry.

Step #3--Do not be anxious about anything.

This does mean not to worry, but it means so much more. It actually means not to fall into the trap of looking out for or promoting your own interests; don't try to make things work out for your best; avoid self-reliance. Let God be your sole source of provision. Make your requests known to Him and He will take care of it for you.

Step #4--Accept God's gift of peace.

The word peace means rest and safety. It literally means exemption from the rage and havoc of war. This step is the result of following the first three--rejoicing in the Lord, being gentle and not being anxious. Steps one, two and three are steps we take toward God. Steps four and five are steps God takes towards us in response.

Step #5--Accept God's gift of safety.

This is the second step that God takes towards us. Paul says, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The word guard literally means to protect by military guard; to prevent hostile invasion. He will keep the enemy from penetrating your heart and your mind. This will bring a peace that doesn't make sense. You can hear the bombs going off around you, but for some strange reason, you aren't worried and you will sleep like a baby.

Step #6--Meditate on God's Word.

It is imperative that you train your mind to keep going back to the truth; what is right and lovely, not ugly; what is good, not what is bad. To think on means to decide; agree with; to focus on facts, not suppositions. Do this and the God of Peace will be with you. He won't just send us peace. He himself, the God who is Peace, will come along side us! What a wonderful promise. I want more than just peace. I want the Peace-maker.

When you are feeling a little anxious, follow these simple steps that will lead you to peace and safety. Remember that you have a choice. You can either be a victim of your circumstances, or you can take action through Christ and be a victor in the midst of your circumstances.

Riches of Christ

"The unsearchable riches of Christ." Ephesians 3:8

Another great devotional by Charles Spurgeon:

My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you think him to be when your thoughts are at the greatest. My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them. Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus. When you put the crown on his head, you will only crown him with silver when he deserves gold.

My Master has riches of happiness to bestow upon you now. He can make you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still waters. There is no music like the music of his pipe, when he is the Shepherd and you are the sheep, and you lie down at his feet. There is no love like his, neither earth nor heaven can match it. To know Christ and to be found in him--oh! this is the life, this is joy, this is marrow and fatness, wine on the lees well refined.

My Master does not treat his servants churlishly; he gives to them as a king giveth to a king; he gives them two heavens--a heaven below in serving him here, and a heaven above in delighting in him for ever. His unsearchable riches will be best known in eternity. He will give you on the way to heaven all you need; your place of defense shall be your munitions of rocks, your bread shall be given you, and your waters shall be sure; but it is there, there, where you shall hear the song of them that triumph, the shout of them that feast, and shall have a face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One.

The unsearchable riches of Christ! This is the tune for the minstrels of earth, and the song for the harpers of heaven. Lord, teach us more and more of Jesus, and we will tell out the good news to others.

Consolation

"Everlasting consolation."  2 Thessalonians 2:16

Here is another devotional from Charles Spurgeon:

"Consolation." There is music in the word: like David's harp, it charms away the evil spirit of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor to Barnabas to be called "the son of consolation"; nay, it is one of the illustrious names of a greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus is "the consolation of Israel." "Everlasting consolation"--here is the cream of all, for the eternity of comfort is the crown and glory of it. What is this "everlasting consolation"? It includes a sense of pardoned sin. A Christian man has received in his heart the witness of the Spirit that his iniquities are put away like a cloud, and his transgressions like a thick cloud. If sin be pardoned, is not that an everlasting consolation?

Next, the Lord gives his people an abiding sense of acceptance in Christ. The Christian knows that God looks upon him as standing in union with Jesus. Union to the risen Lord is a consolation of the most abiding order; it is, in fact, everlasting. Let sickness prostrate us, have we not seen hundreds of believers as happy in the weakness of disease as they would have been in the strength of hale and blooming health? Let death's arrows pierce us to the heart, our comfort dies not, for have not our ears full often heard the songs of saints as they have rejoiced because the living love of God was shed abroad in their hearts in dying moments? Yes, a sense of acceptance in the Beloved is an everlasting consolation.

Moreover, the Christian has a conviction of his security. God has promised to save those who trust in Christ: the Christian does trust in Christ, and he believes that God will be as good as his word, and will save him. He feels that he is safe by virtue of his being bound up with the person and work of Jesus.

Drawing Near to His Presence

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near to God..."  Hebrews 10:19, 22

Here is another devotional about worship and the presence of God from David Good's book, Captivated by the Heart of God. In it the author makes some important distinctions between the destination of our worship and the vehicle that we use to get there.

God's design for worship is that it be an experience that is personal, one-on-one and face-to-face. That is the kind of God he is and he created us for that single purpose. I love how the Catholic catechism states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." It couldn't be better said than that. As we draw near to God in worship, it is important that we understand the difference between the vehicle, the destination and the response of worship.

First of all, worship is not the destination. His presence is the destination in worship. One disturbing trend I see in modern worship is that we sometimes seem to make worship the end. Worship is not the goal. His presence is. Worship is merely our response to him. We need to take great care that the focus of our worship is him and nothing else. We need to get over our fascination with worship and direct our attention and awe back to him where it rightfully belongs.

Second, worship is not the vehicle that gets us into God's presence. It is very clear in Hebrews 10:19 that the only way to his presence is through the blood of Jesus. Nothing less and nothing more. Jesus' blood is the vehicle that gets us to the destination which is God's presence. Another disturbing trend is that worship has become the vehicle to the presence of the Lord. Worship is not something we do to get there. It is what we do because we are there. It is important to understand that. Remember, the blood of Christ is the only way to his presence.

This puts worship in its proper perspective. The blood of Jesus opens the way for us to the presence of God and worship is our natural response. The reality is that worship is not something we do, it is who we are. May you be filled with a deeper desire for more of his presence in your life.

Luke

Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NLT

The following is another worship profile from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House. I recommend this Bible for all who want to learn more about Biblical praise and worship.

Skillful author, faithful friend, servant of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and physician. These are the facts we know about Luke from the accounts and letters of the New Testament. Most scholars also believe that Luke penned the book of Acts as well as the Gospel that bears his name. Using such information, we are able to piece together a portrait of a man whose gift to the church was his portrait of the life of Jesus Christ and of the early church that joyfully sprang up to celebrate Christ's work.

Luke the Worshiper

Luke was a Gentile and a physician, making his home in Syrian Antioch. He may also have been a brother of Titus, another of Paul's invaluable co-workers. The "we" references found in Acts 16, 20, and 27 most likely refer to Luke's participation in Paul's missionary journeys. Luke may have been one of Paul's earliest Gentile converts.

Luke is also mentioned in Acts 28:16, Romans 16:21, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon 24. He was clearly a participant in the rigorous challenges of Paul's missionary journeys. As an important witness to Christian missionary activity, Luke chronicled the spread of Christian worship from Jerusalem, where it was largely a Jewish practice, to the boundaries of the first-century civilized world, where it took on characteristics of many other cultures and people groups.

Learning from Luke

Luke reminds us that Christian worship begins with the gift of the Holy Spirit and particularly emphasized the leading of the Spirit in the work of the church (Luke 4:1; 11:13; Acts 2:1-21; 4:8, 31; 8:15-19). Luke painted compelling portraits of the worshiping church. He recorded beautiful songs of praise from the lips of Zechariah, Simeon, and Mary. He described the glorious chant of the angels and they greeted the shepherds. He showed the communal spirit of the first Christians as they prayed, broke bread, and shared possessions.

Luke reminds us that the demands on the Christian worshiper may be difficult. The cost of discipleship may involve physical discomfort or financial sacrifice. Luke shows Christians sharing their possessions and sending love offerings to the hurting "mother church" in Jerusalem.

Luke's inclusion of women, Samaritans, and Gentiles in his narratives shows how the church had to expand its boundaries beyond its comfort zone. It clearly illustrates the universal character of Christian worship. It is not for one people or gender but for all.

Following the Example

In many church traditions today, worship is structured around the events of the Christian calendar. One of these events is Pentecost, which celebrates the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is a major theme in Luke's writings. In Acts 1:2, Luke noted that the instructions of Christ were given through the Holy Spirit to the apostles. In chapter 2, the promised coming of the Holy Spirit inaugurates the outpouring of Christian worship throughout the world. As you study the book of Acts, take careful note of the Holy Spirit's activity and the church's grateful response to God's sovereignty.